Numbers 23:25 (DBY)

Passage

And Balak said to Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.

Nearby Context

Numbers 23:23 For there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel. At this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!

Numbers 23:24 Lo, the people will rise up as a lioness, and lift himself up as a lion. He shall not lie down until he have eaten the prey and drunk the blood of the slain.

Numbers 23:25 And Balak said to Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.

Numbers 23:26 And Balaam answered and said to Balak, Did I not tell thee, saying, All that Jehovah shall speak, that will I do?

Numbers 23:27 And Balak said to Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee to another place; perhaps it will be right in the sight of God that thou curse me them from thence.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "balak", "said", "balaam", "neither", "curse", and "bless". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "balak" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 24's "Lo the people will rise up as..." into verse 26's "And Balaam answered and said to Balak...", so "balak" and "said" belong inside that flow. In Numbers context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "balak" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.